Pompeo: America Won’t Abandon Israel to Face Iran in Syria

America’s role in Syria was the topic on the agenda – along with the ongoing issue of Israel’s security and Iran – as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Brasilia on Tuesday.

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The two men, who were in the Brazilian capital to attend the inauguration of President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, met with reporters prior to their meeting.

Although Netanyahu spoke in general terms about their upcoming discussion, Pompeo was a bit more specific.

Pompeo said President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw American troops from Syria “in no way changes anything that this administration is working on, alongside Israel.

“The counter-ISIS campaign continues, our efforts to counter Iranian aggression continue, and our commitment to Middle East stability in the protection of Israel continues in the same way it did before that decision was made,” he said.

“You all have done good work in Operation Northern Shield; we understand the threat that that violation of Israeli sovereignty presents to the region and to the country, that threat from Iranian Hezbollah, and we’ll work closely together to make sure that we get this right,” Pompeo added.

Netanyahu also asked Pompeo to see what he could do about slowing the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria, according to media reports.

Hana Levi Julian is a Middle East news analyst with a degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Southern Connecticut State University. A past columnist with The Jewish Press and senior editor at Arutz 7, Ms. Julian has written for Babble.com, Chabad.org and other media outlets, in addition to her years working in broadcast journalism.